At Great Parks, we strive to protect aquatic ecosystems and preserve the natural beauty of our waterways. An important part of this effort includes cleaning up litter from river and stream banks. Discarded trash is extremely damaging to waterways worldwide — it harms aquatic life, degrades physical habitat, transports concentrated chemical pollutants and can interfere […]

Regional Trail to Connect Two Great Parks Finding opportunities to spend time together outside can often be hard for busy families. One solution is to replace a trip traditionally taken in a car with one along a trail. Trails are a healthier, safer and more enjoyable way to get from one place, or one park, […]

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? Physical health is a significant part of you, but mental health, in my opinion, is more important than anything else. Struggling with depression myself, it is so important for me to give myself some solid rest and relaxation. A lot of times, we are so […]

May 22 is recognized as International Day for Biological Diversity. Areas or ecosystems with high biodiversity have a wide variety of species present, across multiple groups, such as trees, wildflowers, birds and mammals. Undisturbed natural areas typically have high biodiversity, while those modified by humans tend to have much lower biodiversity. You may have seen […]

Earlier this month, the nature interpreters at Sharon Woods hosted our second annual space program, Out of This World. Over those two nights, I experienced a child try his very first s’more. I heard about a boy who enjoyed our gravity exhibit so much that his dad is going to build one at home and […]

Signs of spring have been popping up the last few weeks. The sunshine, warming temperatures – even a short morning drizzle all have me daydreaming of the many miles of hiking and backpacking that lie ahead this year. I cannot wait to get my boots muddy! As an avid hiker and backpacker, I have had […]

If you were to make a list of animals rarely seen in our area, you probably would not put a salamander on that list. However, spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are one our region’s most elusive finds. Surprisingly, it is not due to their rarity. But rather, their lifestyle. Scientists group spotted salamanders into a family […]

Your health, mood and overall well-being will improve if you get outside and do just that: take a hike. Although walking anywhere is good for you, there is evidence that walking in nature takes it a step further (pardon the pun). Coined a “Wilderness Prophet” and “The Father of Our National Parks,” renowned naturalist John […]